A delightful stroll around Cliveden

 We visited on a lovely sunny day and enjoyed walking round the extensive grounds.  It was the fag end of summer and the gardeners had been furloughed for the last few months so the flower borders were understandably a bit bare but this didn't detract from our enjoyment.

Due to covid we had to pre-book our visit.  (Cliveden is a hotel within the grounds of the National Trust).  Everybody maintained social distancing and although quite busy it was easy to avoid people.

We turned right out of the car park and walked to the Fountain of  Love.  The Fountain of Love is spectacular, you can't miss it.  The Fountain was designed and carved in 1897 by American sculptor, Thomas Waldo Story.  It was brought here by the 1st Lord Astor.  He recalled in 1920, "the female figures are supposed to have discovered the fountain of love and to be experiencing the effects of its wonderful elixir".

We walked past the fountain and down the grass avenue known as Queen Anne's walk to the large urn at the other end.  Looking back from the urn, you can see a framed view of the fountain.  We walked past the urn and turned right towards the Blenheim Pavilion and Amphitheatre.

The Amphitheatre, tucked away on the cliff edge, hosted many theatrical performances during Frederick, Prince of Wales' lease of the estate, including the first ever performance of  'Rule Britannia!' in 1740.  Sitting on the grass steps, you could imagine this famous performance taking place, whilst enjoying views of Cookham lock and Holy Trinity Church, Cookham in the distance.

We continued to follow the same path and turned left to Canning's View.  Canning's View was named after George Canning who was briefly prime minister in 1827.  He was a regular visitor and spent many hours under a giant oak tree here, looking out at the spectacular view of the River Thames.  The tree fell in May 2004 but the view to the river that George Canning enjoyed years ago still remains.

Suddenly we saw the clock tower, just beautiful.  If you have watched Disney's 2015 rendition of Cinderella, keep your eyes peeled.  This gilded clock tower features as the all-important clock that strikes midnight, sending Cinderella fleeing from the ball.  

We walked up to the expansive South Terrace.  The oldest surviving part of Cliveden. The stairs had been closed as part of a £5 million restoration project, one of the largest within the National Trust.  We were able to walk in the footsteps of royalty down to the iconic Cliveden Parterre.

An underground chamber which is apparently a Jacobean surround sound system has been discovered at Cliveden.  The chamber seems to be a giant amplifier, built so the sounds of an invisible orchestra could drift around the guests at parties.

We returned through the side gate to  the same path and bore left when the route split.  We followed this path uphill and turned right at the next junction. We went through the gate and followed the path in front of us, signposted "Chapel" for views over the Berkshire countryside.  The Chapel dating from 1735 was originally a tea-room, the chapel was converted into the final resting place for the Astors by William Waldorf Astor in 1893.  The chapel is only open on Thursdays and Sunday afternoons but the chapel balcony is open seven days a week.  The complex on the opposite side of the rive is the Odney Club, a country house owned by the John Lewis Partnership.

At the next junction we turned left and followed the signs to the 'Tortoise Fountain'.  You have to go through the wooden gate on your right and take the steps down to the fountain.  The Tortoise Fountain is named after the tortoise sculptures that hang over the top basin.  The fountain was made by Thomas Waldo Story, the sculptor of the Fountain of Love.  From here you can see breathtaking views to the River Thames 200 ft below. 

We continued to walk down the steps and follow the path straight ahead.  The path leads to a road with the river in front of you.  This is one of the prettiest spots on the River Thames.  In Chapter 12 of Three Men in a Boat (1889), Jerome K. Jerome describes Cliveden Reach as 'unbroken loveliness this is, perhaps, the sweetest stretch of all the river'.  You can also take a trip on the river.  We, however, stopped for our lunch on a picnic bench in the sunshine with a glorious view of the river.

After lunch we walked past the boathouse and continue on this path until we reached Spring Cottage. With Spring Cottage on our right, we made a u-turn up the steep, narrow steps through the woods and continued to follow the steps uphill bearing right at the Sequoia Ring.  This path leads you to the Duke of Sutherland's statue and a fabulous view of Clief-dene.  Built on a 200 ft (61m) chalk cliff with a dene or valley running below, the estate was originally named Clief-dene.  The National Trust have owned the house and gardens since 1942, but have let the house as a hotel since the late 1980's.  There are clear views of Cliveden House and the famous Parterre from the Duke of Sutherland's statue.

We then walked down the avenue of lime trees, signposted 'Green Drive' and followed the signs 'To House'. 

We followed the steps up to Cliveden House and on to the South Terrace.  When the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland purchased the estate in 1849, they worked with Head Gardener John Fleming to transform a single lawn into the innovative design of the parterre that you see today.  (Sadly the Parterre was not in all its glory).  The terrace above the parterre offers a perfect vantage point to look down on the display below as well as widespread views towards the Duke of Sutherland's statue.

From the South Terrace we retraced our steps to the large urn and continued straight ahead through a gap in the hedge, walking along the lawn edge at the front of Cliveden House.  We went through the arch in the hedge and walked down Grand Avenue towards the Fountain of Love.

We then headed to The Long Garden which now has a one-way system but it works well.  The entrance is at the fountain end and there were splashes of colour along the flowerbeds by the wall and amazing topiary.  In the central beds, a sign explains that the narcissi planted in spring are being left to flower again next year - firstly, as no-one got a chance to enjoy them during lock-down and secondly as furloughed staff meant the usual summer planting couldn't take place.  But that meant we noticed other details like the Baboons.  They are over 2,000 years old, granite statues, originally created for the entrance to an Egyptian temple.  They are believed to represent the Egyptian god of writing and wisdom, bought by William Waldorf Astor in the late 1800s, later sold into private ownership before being returned to Cliveden where they were restored.  They are covered from November to March to protect them.  Leaving the baboons to the sunshine we visited the Rose Garden with over 800 roses.  Sadly most of the roses had finished flowering.

We stopped on a bench for cake and tea and overhead a red kite soared, apparently floating effortlessly on the air.

Then on to the Water Garden.  Its a beautiful oriental garden full of Japanese plants, a big lily pond full of Koi Carp, stepping stones and a Chinese pagoda.  Again must return to see the lilies in flower.

Our walk was beautiful and there was always something around the next corner.

Some more interesting facts.  Cliveden was home to Buckingham's wife and his mistress, the Countess of Shrewsbury.  He and her husband fought a famous duel in 1688, and Shrewsbury later died of his injuries.  Samuel Pepys wondered in his diary how the king could keep Buckingham as a court favourite, "a fellow of no more sobriety than to fight about a whore".  

In the 1930s the house was known for the so-called "Cliveden set" centred on Nancy Astor, sympathetic to Germany in the years before the second world war.

The house made headlines again in the 1960s, when the society osteopath Stephen Ward rented a cottage in the grounds and brought his guests up to the house for a swim, including the 19-year-old Christine Keeler and Yevgency Ivanov, a Soviet naval attache.  The third Viscount Astor was also having a party, including the then secretary of state for war, John Profumo.  Keeler's subsequent brief affair with Profumo, and his denial of it to parliament, destroyed the politician's career, and the general election in 1964 brought down the Tory government.

If you want to stay here in a standard room for one night I think it would cost in the region of £450 per night and if you want something really stupendous you could have Lady Astor's Suite, complete as it was with genuine antiques for a mere £1,450 per night (Breakfast Extra).  This hotel is very popular with American Tourists.

Gone Crabbing

 We all love the fun of dangling a line, with a bit of bacon tied on so on Saturday we headed off with the grandchildren in the direction of Sturt Pond Bridge to partake in a seaside classic - crabbing!

We arrived at the first 'crab bridge' armed with a net, bucket and crab lines.  We weren't allowed on the bridge because of Covid but we tied on our bait (we used an old pair of tights to hold the bacon in) and found a suitable spot for the intrepid crabbers to cast their lines, and waited......patience is the secret ingredient.

A small crowd gathered and within seconds Chloe felt a pull on the line.  Inch by inch she carefully raised her line and had scooped up a ten-legged crustacean.  She popped him into the bucket with Grandad's help - he carefully held the shell behind the pincers with his fingers and thumb, to avoid a nasty nip.  Jamie very quickly caught the second one.

They caught 21 crabs altogether!!

The children loved the idea of a race for putting their precious new pinchy pets back into the water.  We didn't make the crabs run too far - I have no idea about crab stamina but I have in the past noticed people who started way back were losing their crabs to waiting seagulls!  And that's never a great way to end your day at the coast with wailing children who have just seen their new friend smashed and eaten in front of them!  We made sure our crabs were well submerged and the lurking gull did not eat them!

We then rewarded the Champion Crab Catcher efforts with a delicious pizza from the Fire Engine at The Smugglers.

When done responsibly, crabbing is an excellent way to introduce children to the marine ecology.

Some interesting crab facts:

1.  To tell the difference between a male and female crab, carefully look at its underneath.  A male will have more of a geometric triangle flap whilst the females is more rounded (and will often be covered with eggs).

2.  The collective noun for crabs is a cast.

3.  Crabs have blue blood because of the copper it contains.

4.  Crabs are covered in lots of tiny little hairs called setae which help them detect chemicals, touch and movement.

5.  Crabs belong to a group of creatures known as Decapods which means 10 legs.  Lobsters, shrimps and prawns are also included in this group.

Cruise ships off Bournemouth

 One of the biggest cruise ships in the world is among five anchored off Bournemouth beach.

Allure of the Seas is one of four Royal Caribbean ships which can be viewed from the Dorset coast.

Three more of the company's impressive ships - Anthem of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas - are among the group.

The fifth is P&O's Aurora.

Many different cruise ships have come and gone during lockdown and have become a tourist attraction.  Cruise ships are currently at anchor around the world as coronavirus restrictions rule out a return to business.  They are both magnificent and sad at the same time.

These wonderful photos were taken by Graham Wiffen.

Back to School

 It's more than 160 days since schools sent home pupils at the beginning of the lockdown.  No-one at the time, in those bewildering March days, could have known when children would return.

The leaves that were starting to appear on the trees when children hurried home are now about to turn brown.  It's been a long and strange summer.  The family holiday was cancelled.

Exams were cancelled and there were replacement results.  And then those results were cancelled too.  There was constant confusion over whether or not pupils were going back to school.

Home-schooling didn't always really happen and rites of passage such as leaving events had to be called off.  There were more u-turns than a handwriting text book.

But children are now going back full-time for the new school year.  The "new normal" became a lockdown cliche, but going back to school in September is a rare case of the old normal.

So what's it going to be like for these returning pupils?  What should parents be saying to them?  Are they going to be able to get back to learning after months of lie-ins and Netflix?  I think there's a real need to recognise the physical, mental and emotional impact of going back.  But on the other hand, there were positive experiences during lockdown.  They have not had the stresses of school and they have enjoyed spending more time together with their parents, especially Daddy. The lockdown saw a temporary reinvention of family life, with those parents working from home seeing more of their children than would ever usually be possible.  Perhaps children and perhaps also their parents will miss this closeness.

Follow the lines; join the queue; please keep your distance and wash your hands.  I am sure the schools will institute a regime of hygiene and precautions to keep pupils safe.

A Day Out at the Needles

 The Needles is one of the most beautiful spots on the Isle of Wight and perhaps it's most famous landmark.  After living in Milford-on-Sea for nine months the grandchildren were desperate to visit.

The Needles is a row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise out of the sea off the western extremity of the island and is a must see.  Actually, there used to be four stacks, but one of them collapsed during the great storm of 1764 - one of the tallest Needles in the famous rock formation - all that is left of it today is a large gap.  The formation actually takes its name from the fourth needle-shaped pillar called Lot's Wife.  The remaining rocks are not at all needle-like, but the name has stuck.

The Needles Lighthouse stands at the outer, western end of the formation.

There are a few ways to see this famous landmark.

We boarded the 10 am Lymington to Yarmouth ferry.  It's an attractive trip sailing down the Lymington River and across the Western Solent.  The crossing took 40 mins and we had good views of all the sailing boats through the big windows.

We then headed for The Needles - Landmark Attraction (previously known as The Needles Pleasure Park) situated at the top of the cliff at Alum Bay and is a small amusement park. Parking costs £6 for all day or £4 if you show your National Trust card. We started our day with a trip from the top of Alum Bay cliffs down to the beach below.  Spectacular views of the picturesque Needles Rocks and Lighthouse as well on the chairlift which operates between the park and the beach.  (You can walk down lots of steps instead).  It was nice and quiet when we arrived and it was great fun, especially the drop over the cliff with fabulous views.  Chloe thought it a little scary!!  I have to say it's not for the faint hearted.  The staff were fab with helping the children on and off - they had to wear masks because of this. 

  The beach is stony at the bottom but the colourful cliffs are very interesting and unusual to see.  You can take a boat ride to The Needles.

Safely back at the top Chloe and Jamie opted for a Dino Jeep Ride.  Well the Isle of Wight is also known as Dinosaur Island.

Our car was parked by some grass with lovely views so this is where we chose to eat our picnic.

Because of the Corona Virus our visit to the National Trust Needles Battery had to be pre-booked (we were 2 p.m.) so there was time for a game of Jurassic Crazy Golf before the mile walk up to the top of the cliff to look down onto the Needles.

The walk is incredibly picturesque and leads you to the National Trust Needles Battery.  A former military installation where rockets were once secretly tested.

The Needles' pointed shape is a result of their unusual geology.  The strata have been so heavily folded during the Alpine Orogeny that the chalk is near vertical.  This chalk outcrop runs through the centre of the Island from Culver Cliff in the east to the Needles in the west, and then continues under the sea to the Isle of Purbeck, forming Ballard Cliff (near Swanage), Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door.  At Old Harry Rocks (east of Studland and north of Swanage) these strata lines moving from horizontal to near vertical can be seen from the sea.

Just off the end of the Needles formation is the Shingles, a shifting shoal of pebbles just beneath the waves.  The Shingles is approximately three miles in length.  Many ships have been wrecked on the Shingles.

Such an enjoyable day and the visibility was superb.